The Should-Not-Be
The Should-Not-Be is a short film by J.P. Leck and is the seventeenth installment (nineteenth, chronologically) in his Endless Elsewhere multimedia meta-narrative. It is the fifth Endless Elsewhere short film. It premiered at the Shocktober in Irvington event on October 6, 2017. Synopsis Ryan Tolliver, now a fugitive from the law, finds himself under attack by a common criminal and his rather unorthodox employer. Plot Summary Coming soon! Post-Credits A lightning storm in an attic briefly illuminates a red manuscript with the image of a golden sun at its center. Characters * Ryan Tolliver - a fugitive from the law due to helping Carolyn Pelfrey and current possessor of Hardesty's Lantern. ** Ryan Tolliver is portrayed by 'Tucker.'' * '''Montgomery 'Monty' Redding - a low-level criminal tasked with being Hardesty's eyes and hands in his quest to recover his lost inventions. ** Monty Redding is portrayed by 'Jack Draga.'' * '''Det. Alex Heaney - a Circle City police detective assisting his partner in tracking down fugitives Ryan Tolliver and Carolyn Pelfrey. ** Det. Alex Heaney is portrayed by 'Samuel Dumas.'' * '''Dr. Morgan - the Circle City coroner who calls Heaney and Sorrells while they're on their stakeout with important information regarding the grave robberies case. ** Dr. Morgan is voiced by 'Delo James.'' * '''The Dispatcher - the dispatcher for the Circle City Police Department. ** The Dispatcher is voiced by 'Lindsay Leck.'' * '''Dr. Frederick Hardesty - a German scientist (now a living brain in a box), he is on a single-minded quest to recover his lost Music Box. ** Dr. Frederick Hardesty is voiced by 'Stephen E. Foxworthy.'' * '''Det. Keith Sorrells - a Circle City police detective assisting his partner in tracking down fugitives Ryan Tolliver and Carolyn Pelfrey. ** Det. Keith Sorrells is portrayed by 'Stephen E. Foxworthy.'' Referenced Characters * '''Carolyn Pelfrey - having been rescued by Ryan Tolliver, Carolyn abandons him for fear of dragging him down with her. * Dr. Edwin Lydell Pendergast - Hardesty mentions that his Brain Box was "the continued work of another," referencing Pendergast's attempts to save his son's brain in The Bard in The Strangely Undying. Artifacts * The Brain Box - the vessel which Dr. Hardesty designed to encase his still-living brain. * The Lantern - Ryan enlists Hardesty's help to repair the speech function on the Lantern. * The Music Box - in exchange for his help in repairing the Lantern, Hardesty enlists Ryan's help in finding the lost Music Box. * The Zapper - a non-lethal weapon designed by Hardesty to render its targets inert and, often, in a puddle of their own urine. References The Should-Not-Be contains references to the following Endless Elsewhere tales: * "The Music Box" ** Hardesty enlists first Monty, then Ryan to help him track down his stolen Music Box. * The Novelty ** Heaney and Sorrells are still investigating the fallout from the grave robberies committed by the Ghoul, who is stopped by Violet in The Novelty. * The Lantern ** The broken knob seen on the machine relay in The Lantern is revealed to have been a conscious sabotage by Hardesty so that he could not hear the voices within the spirit realm. ** Hardesty learns the location of the Lantern after tuning in to Circle City Supernatural and hearing Ryan's story. * "The Acolytes" ** In his pursuit of Carolyn Pelfrey, Alex Heaney inadvertently solves the grave robberies case he had thought unsolvable, the fallout of which resurfaces in The Should-Not-Be. The Should-Not-Be is further referenced in the following Endless Elsewhere stories: * "The Invoked" ** Both Hardesty and Tolliver recount the events of this film to Violet. ** Keith reveals to Tolliver the current fate of Monty Redding. Links * The Should-Not-Be on YouTube